The Marine Who Could Read Thoth
by GoddessOfOlympia
Summary: The United States Marines suspects that Jack West kept the pillars after researching the events at the Final Vertex in March 2008. It is now November and they send a team of Lieutenant Egypt Reacher and Scarecrow to extract them to get the rewards. However, a team member betrays the team to West, believing that the safety of the world is more crucial than the mission.
1. The Marine Who Could Read Thoth

_**Disclaimer**_**: I do not own Matthew Reilly's characters and probably never will unfortunately. I only own the characters that I have created in this story.**

_**Full Summary: **_**  
The American Army suspects that Jack West Jr kept the pillars after researching the events at the Final Vertex in March 2008. It is now November and they send a team of Lieutenant Egypt Reacher and the infamous Scarecrow to extract them to get the rewards. However, after a member of their team who has served with West before betrays them, the Recon division are caught up in a deadly and mythological power struggle that could effect the whole world.**

**_Author's Notes: _  
So, I'm re-writing and re-publishing. I have better ideas and even better grammar now. I almost had a whole next chapter written a while ago and then my laptop crashed and I was disheartened. The Matthew Reilly fandom has too little stories for such an amazing author. In any case, I have made some amendments/clarifications.**

**1. I was unable to find out when Scarecrow was set and so it made the dates a bit tricky for this story. The latest Jack West Jr took place from March 2008. The final date in the book was May 1 2008, six weeks after the Final Vertex incident. So, I'm having the events of Scarecrow run parallel to the events of Five Greatest Warriors. This begins to take place in November 2008 and Libby Gant's death was in May**

**2. I am actually doing research to right this story! I want to try and have everything more accurate, such as the Marine details (i.e. their clothing, their rank, and their weapons). I'm also trying to use actual previous operations that actual divisions used in this story. I still apologise if I get anything wrong and I will have to rely on my imagination at some points.**

**3. Please review! I love for my writing to improve, and personally, I think this story will be much better than the first. **

**-GoddessOfOlympia**

Scarecrow didn't see their faces anymore. He walked through the Pentagon, ignoring any female presence. Unfortunately for him, the reason he was being sent through to the place where America's military related decisions took place was to visit a female and generally, etiquette demanded that you look at someone when you are talking to them. Schofield sighed, turning down another corridor. It was six months since Libby Gant; his girlfriend had been viciously- and literally- executed because Schofield hadn't been able to save her. He hadn't been there but the images of the possibilities haunted him not only at night but throughout the day as well.

_Fox looked up at Schofield, head locked in the guillotine. Her eyes were resigned to her fate but also pleading, pleading, pleading for Schofield to save her. The knife dropped and Elizabeth Gant was no more._

Schofield hardly realized he'd reached his destination. He walked in to his commanding superior's office, General James Stone. He was requested there for a meeting for a new operation. Schofield had no idea what it entailed; all he knew was that he had been handed several files earlier and told to familiarise himself with them. Schofield glanced down at the top file. It contained the details of the woman he was soon to be working with, the latest addition to his small and closely knit reconnaissance team.

**FIRST LIEUTENANT: Reacher, Egypt, USMC**, the name read at the top of the page before a small biography followed it.

_Enlisted:_ Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego  
_Division:_ The 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit  
_Call sign:_ Relic  
_D.O.B:_ 1983 (age 25)  
_Height_: 5"9'  
_Weight:_ 139 lbs  
_Hair Colour:_ Black  
_Eye Colour:_ Brown

Below that information was a short paragraph about her recruitment. She had had no military background prior to joining the army when she was twenty-two but it appeared she had risen through the ranks relatively quickly. He shut the file and stood in front of the desk, waiting for her and General Stone to enter. In some cases, if you'd grown up with a military father or mother, you were inclined to become one. Schofield could think of a very good example in the case of Book II, a young marine on Schofield's team. His father, the original Book, had been on one of Schofield's most traumatic missions and died as a result of it.

Footsteps approached and Schofield straightened his posture, automatically standing to attention. A tall, physically imposing man with a buzz cut walked into the office. Four glittering silver stars hung off his chest, followed by a row of medals. He was followed by a tall woman with glossy black hair. She was everything that Libby hadn't been – tall and dark with flashing, watchful eyes. Schofield studied her for a moment, assessing the damage she could cause on first appearance. She had defined muscles and she held herself in the same stance as him, ready to fight. A small crescent scar curled under her eye, the only noticeable record of an injury. Schofield ran several possibilities of how she could have attained it before giving up. People did that to him far too often for him to have any right to do it to this woman.

"Ah, Schofield," Stone said as he walked behind his desk. "Thank you for flying in here. This is Lieutenant Reacher of the 13th MEU." He pronounced MEU as 'myuu' and Schofield inclined his head slightly to acknowledge the other soldier. She appraised him as he had done to her a few minutes prior and Schofield wondered what she could see. Could she see the cool, collected and somewhat legendary military figure or could she see the tortured mind behind it? Whatever she was thinking, he would never know. She saluted him, as was respectful to a superior officer before Stone began to talk again.

"Schofield, Reacher," he began, "We are sending you into a hostile area to retrieve objects of great importance to the United States Marine Corps, the United States Government and the United States as a country." Schofield thought, not for the first time, that Stone was one of the more patriotic Generals in the USMC. He picked up a photo off the desk and slid it across to face them. It was of a farm, surrounded by a dusty dry landscape. If not for the peculiar reddish dirt, it could have been in Utah. "This here is Jack West Jr's farm in the Simpson Desert, South Australia." The name, Jack West, rang a slight bell in Schofield's head as he leant forward to study the picture some more. A low slung white farmhouse could be seen. As he did, Stone slid a photo of West beside the one of the farm and Schofield instantly realised who he was. Once upon a time, he'd been listed on the Pentagon's Top 10 Soldiers list, making the claim of being the only non-American. However, twelve years ago, he had dropped off the radar. There had been speculation that he was the opponent against Colonel Judah Marshall in a top secret mission to assemble the Golden Capstone and save the world but nothing had ever come of it. It had seemed it was to remain only that; speculation.

"Why do you need us to break into the farm?" Egypt Reacher spoke for the first time and Schofield couldn't say he was surprised she was direct like most soldiers. Her voice matched her appearance, low and silky and foreign. It also appeared that she hadn't done her homework and didn't realise she was going to be accompanied by a group.

"Captain Jack West commanded a small coalition of nations sometime in 2006. None of them were American in nationality. They reassembled in late 2007 to begin a race to gather several objects known as the Pillars. These pillars hold immense power and would be extremely beneficial to both your country and your careers." Schofield couldn't supress a dry smile. Stone obviously knew Reacher's type; ambitious and career hungry, wanting to reach the highest rank attainable.

However, before this could happen, she would have to complete the mission and at the moment, she appeared to be looking doubtful. "Pillars?" she queried. "As in… rocks?"

"Are you as ignorant as the rest of your gender, Reacher?" Stone snapped as Schofield noted that he should add sexism to the list of patriotism and manipulation. "These aren't any sort of rocks you've seen in your lifetime. They were designed to hold our world up from a dark anti-sun advancing on our planet!" Schofield only felt mildly surprised at this revelation. After all, if they could develop a space ship that would appear invisible to the naked eye, why wouldn't there be an evil twin to the largest supply of energy to Earth coming towards them? "West claimed he no longer has the Pillars but we have reason to believe otherwise. So we're sending you in." There was a tense moment before Schofield spoke.

"General, why did you select me and why did you select Reacher?" he asked respectfully. Reacher had the audacity to stare at him, clearly shocked at him saying anything that could undermine her position in this mission.

"Schofield, despite recent events, you have proven over and over again that you are able to survive and adapt under enormous pressure. I was also advised to choose you as you would be able to cope with the… uh… supernatural nature of the mission," Stone explained, pausing slightly on the word. "And as for Reacher here, well, I believe she already knows her purpose here even if she doesn't want to admit it." Stone slid a final photo in line with the other two. Unlike the previous photos, it was blurry and at a terrible angle. However, Schofield was able to recognize a door with some sort of writing on it. Reacher met her General's eyes and glared as soon as she saw the photo.

"Is that the only reason I've been chosen to go?" she asked her voice low and simmering with anger. Stone smirked, clearly glad to have one up on this dangerous young woman. "Because, respectfully sir," she continued, "my record is fucking spectacular and unheard of for someone of my age. So you can just get the fu-" Stone cut her off before she could say anything more.

"Actually, Reacher, I think you'll find that one other person held a better record than you do at your age." He gestured at Schofield who was trying to figure out where the conversation was going.

"Oh yes," Reacher began again, her voice mocking. "The Great Scarecrow has to come along to baby sit the female translator!" Her voice had risen and she swept her hand across the front of the desk, knocking the papers to the floor before turning and walking out of the room.

"Translator?" Schofield questioned when she was gone.

"What is inscribed on that door is known as the Word of Thoth, Captain. Thus far, Reacher is the only one we've been able to find who can decipher it. The cryptologists here literally spent months and months trying to decipher it." He shook his head, standing up to pick up the pictures from the floor. "She could have been an analyst or a cryptologist but instead she joins the army." Schofield understood what he was saying but Reacher's point about her record was justified.

"Just to clarify, sir, my team and I have to assist perfectly competent soldier into entering a _farm_?" The dark smile of Stones returned again as he sat back down, the photos now filed away carefully.

"Don't play me for a fool, Captain Schofield. I know you know Jack West is no one to be trifled with. He is what would be called paranoid outside of the army world and excessive within it. He has certain security measures that will require a team of at least five to disable or avoid. In addition to this, his wife is an ex-member of the Sciathan Fhianoglach an Arim. And finally, his daughter is the only other known person who can read Thoth. We wish for her extraction in the future, after we have crippled West."

"The extraction of a child, sir?" Schofield tried to keep his tone light.

"She's fourteen and of more than enough cause for concern. With a father like hers, I'm wouldn't be surprised if she's been trained. Do not underestimate her. Now," said Stone, standing for a final time and holding Schofield a much bulkier file. "Assemble your team and acquaint Lieutenant Reacher with them. She can be a bit temperamental but for all her arrogance, she is a capable soldier. You are due to leave two weeks from now. See that you're prepared," he ordered before striding out of the office. Schofield was left standing there, holding a file, having come full circle during the course of the meeting.


	2. The Marine Without A Call Sign

Egypt stormed out of the room, not caring she was going to be punished for insubordination later. She walked through the Pentagon, ignoring looks she gathered from the office workers. While military looking people weren't uncommon here, _angry_ military looking people certainly were. She hated the fact that she could read this language. She wished this talent had never been discovered. She remembered when it had. When she had just turned twenty-two and entered the army, she had been in a cryptologist's office as they tried to figure out where she would be used best. Despite never having an interest in cryptology, Egypt sat the test. They gave her a series of encoded pages but she had absolutely no way to decipher it. As she had placed the files back on the desk, she had noticed another one stamped with "Top Secret."

"_Really?"_ she remembered saying. _"You stamp something with "Top Secret" and expect people_ not_ to look at it?"_ She had reached out and grabbed it, ignoring the protests of the man in front of her. Strangely, the symbols began to form a pattern in her head.

"_Now this is what I'd call ironic. I can't read those other things but I can read this."_ That one sentence had changed her military career. The man had grown very excited and contacted his entire office. Egypt had translated the entire page of writing under the eyes of all of them, feeling very uncertain and very special at the same time. They wanted her to stay in their department, to hone in her skills. Egypt had refused, something that wasn't considered wise by many.

"_It's called the Word of Thoth,"_ was the last thing she said before she walked out of the office to fly to San Diego and learn how to be a marine.

And now, it was coming back to haunt her. Every operation she was chosen to take part in, she felt it was hanging over her, as if Thoth was going to have a key part in it. And in _this_ operation, she was actually told it was her reason for selection. Egypt didn't understand why they didn't look at her previous operation records. She leant against a wall in a secluded area of the Pentagon.

"Lieutenant Reacher?" Egypt turned from where she was leaning to see Schofield, his face impassive. She took into account his reflective silver glasses, something she'd noticed in the office but not actually noticed. She knew what lay beneath them; the reason for his call sign. She had never seen the scars that ran vertically down his eyes but they were legendary.

"Yes, Captain Schofield? Suppose you're here to drag me kicking and screaming back to the office," she asked wryly, finally standing straight. Schofield's face remained impassive but Egypt thought she saw a slight twitch of a smile.

"No, I'm here to drive us to the airport." Egypt stared at him, not comprehending. "We're due in Camp Pendleton. That's where the rest of my team is located." There was a long pause before Egypt nodded.

"The rest of _our_ team," she corrected and this time, Schofield actually did smile. It was enigmatic, that smile. It reminded Egypt of the Mona Lisa; Schofield definitely did have a secret behind it.

"They haven't accepted you yet," he replied before continuing on his way out of the penthouse. In that moment, Egypt decided she could grow to like him and respect him as a Captain. But she didn't feel either yet.

They departed from a private airstrip from a nearby airfield rather than flying on civilian airlines. They arrived in Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton six hours later. Schofield and Egypt disembarked from the plane quickly, only to be greeted by a tall woman with a shaved head. She clearly knew Schofield from the way she pulled him into a hug as soon as she saw him.

"Scarecrow!" she hooted with joy, a grin cracking her tough face. "I was wondering if you were going to return to us or if I'd have to fly all the way to D.C to yank your bony behind back here." Schofield chuckled lightly.

"As if I could leave you, Mother." Egypt watched the exchange curiously. Schofield had chosen not to divulge anything about her future team on the plane ride and so she was in the dark, as she had been most of her life.

"Is this her?" Mother asked Schofield, not bothering to lower her voice. "She looks a bit native." Schofield chuckled again.

"Mother, this is Lieutenant Egypt Reacher of the 13th MEU. Reacher, this is Mother, your Gunnery-Sargent." Egypt saluted the other woman, as custom dictated. She might be prone to insubordination but she followed the strict army routines most of the time. "Everyone else is at the barracks, I assume?" Schofield asked before Mother nodded and clapped hand on his shoulder. They made their way over the barracks immediately.

"Do you have a call sign, Reacher?" Mother enquired pleasantly. Egypt stopped for a moment, not knowing how to respond. She had had a call sign but she refused to be associated with it anymore. This was rare but not impossible in the army.

"It's Relic," Schofield replied instead, noticing that Egypt seemed to flinch when he spoke the name. This was peculiar for someone who seemed to keep her emotions – except for anger – invisible most of the time. "Isn't it?"

"No, I don't have a call sign," she said, her voice low like it had been when she was talking to Stone in the office earlier that day. "And if you ever call me that again, I will shoot you where you stand." Mother let out a great raucous laugh, figuring she was joking.

"She's definitely a native, Scarecrow. A bit of a barbarian it would seem. Where are you from?" asked Mother as they walked through the entrance to the mess hall. "And please don't say Egypt because that would be too cruel." Egypt laughed, unable to help herself.

"Actually, I'm from here but I was born in Egypt. My father was Egyptian, I believe, but I never knew him. I've lived in D.C. since I was five." She finished talking to realise a small group of soldiers were looking at her. This must the group that Scarecrow had been talking about.

"This is Lieutenant Egypt Reacher. She will be assisting us on our next Operation. Reacher, this is Book II," he said as he walked along, pausing behind each of the men. The first man was serious with a pug nose. "Rebound." He looked to be in his early twenties, the same as Egypt. "Astro, Bigfoot and Alice. And of course you know Mother," he said, gesturing to the last three men in the line. Egypt took their names in; committing each one to memory, wondering which of the men had the peculiarly female name of 'Alice.' She didn't particularly enjoy the way he was giving only their call signs. It made her more separate than all of them, even more of an outsider.

"This is a smaller reconnaissance team than most of the ones I've seen," she remarked.

"That's because we go for quality not quantity here." The comment came from the first man Schofield had introduced, Book II. Egypt stopped herself from raising her eyebrows at the cliché before Schofield spoke again.

"Team, my orders were to 'assemble a team and acquaint Lieutenant Reacher with them.'" A light chuckle ran through the group as Schofield mimicked General Stone's deep set voice perfectly. "We're leaving in two weeks. We need to train. We need to select tactics. We need to be ready."

"Some of us are ready," Egypt couldn't stop herself from commenting. She had just finished her last Operation and hadn't been expected to go on another for at least six months. She was in peak fitness. "Sir," she added, managing to make the honorific sound insulting. The group looked on curiously at this new, arrogant soldier.

"I think what Reacher means to say is some of us _think_ they are ready. When, in actual fact, you're anything but. This isn't just an ordinary operation, team. This is an extraordinary operation," he said, pausing as he met everyone in the room's eyes, lingering on the brown eyes of the woman who so openly opposed him. "In every sense of the word."


	3. The Marine Who Didn't Belong

**Author's Note: So, we get to see quite a lot of Egypt's true character in this chapter! I'm not really sure if that's a good thing though… ;) Also, I think the style of this chapter is slightly different to the others. I'm not sure if this is because of this particular chapter or my whole writing style has changed. Some of the rules that Egypt chants to herself are actual regulations required by the marines. If you have any questions, just message me.**

**This chapter is dedicated to the amazing Bastetian, they write Scarecrow fanfiction as well! Hope you all enjoy this chapter and continue to support me! GoddessOfOlympia**

The next two weeks were every bit the hell Egypt had never been expecting them to be. She might have thought she was fit, but Schofield's words had never been truer when he had said that she had only _thought_ she was ready. Their small but elite group stood out in the sun, sweat dripping off their faces. They were wearing the USMC green camouflage suits and no matter how much ventilation it claimed to deliver, it couldn't stop the heat from capturing their bodies.

In front of them laid the course, the final one for the day. Schofield liked to end most days with just a little more torture than the last. What Egypt learnt that was different from any other officer she had served under was that he did it himself. She glanced sideways and smirked at Alice. Alice was a small man of Mexican descent. His name was Jose Antonio Cesar Juan-Carlo Rodriguez, he swore just as much as she did and he had the worst sense of direction. When he had first entered the corps and done his first training exercise, he had gotten so lost that he had "been to Wonderland and back," or so he told everyone. Unfortunately for him, the name Alice had stuck on as his callsign. He was also the most competitive in the group apart from Egypt.

In front of them lay an intricate course. The Marines had to complete it as fast as they could, incurring as little penalties. The first time Egypt had done it, she had instantly realised that Schofield had designed it for fitness and agility, two of the things she specialised in in. Currently, he walked behind the line of marines, studying each of them.

"This is the last time you will ever cross this specific course," Schofield announced and a current of relief ran through the group. Egypt glanced at her captain to see his face morph into an enigmatic smile beneath the silver lenses. "But what you will cross in the future will be much worse. I expect you all to set personal bests. You'll be beginning two minutes after the previous person, so you're staggered." Schofield had a way of speaking that made you not want to disappoint him. He wasn't like other Captain's Egypt had served under, who yelled at her and told her she was nothing but a girl, and because she was a girl, she would fail.

"Mother, you're up first." The hefty marine Egypt had grown to respect stepped up to the line, cracking her knuckles with a grin. Egypt had discovered that her real name was Gena Newman and she had a husband who was a trucker. It seemed surreal that people would have lives outside of the Marines but maybe she only thought that because she didn't. She had also learnt exactly why Mother was called Mother. It wasn't because of her maternal attitude, even though she did seem to look out for the rest of the group.

"I'm going to take this motherfucker by the horns!" she announced and chuckles filled the air. Schofield's smirk widened as he lifted a stopwatch.

"And go!" Mother took off, moving her body with surprising speed for a woman of her size. She was a pure machine of muscle and ten times as dangerous as some of the men Egypt knew.

"Reacher, you're up," Alice told her, nudging her forward slightly. His words always sounded comical with his heavy Mexican accent that refused to budge after ten years of living in the United State.

"Ready to get your ass kicked?" she replied, smiling sweetly as she stepped forward. Before Alice could retort anything, Schofield spoke.

"And go!" he ordered, hitting the button on the stopwatch for the second time. Egypt barely had time to turn and focus on the track that Mother had entered only two minutes before. The first obstacle was simple: a pull up bar. The objective was to do thirty pull ups as quickly as possible and move on. The bar had to be grasped with both palms facing either forward or to the year. As Egypt gripped the bar in her hands, she began to recall everything she had learnt. For some reason, she wanted this to be her personal best of the course. _One repetition consists of raising the body with the arms until the chin is above the bar, and then lowering the body until the arms are fully extended_. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Egypt's hands moved on the bar as she lifted her body weight over and over. Her lungs and arms began to burn slightly. _The marine's legs may be positioned in a straight or bent position but may not be raised above the waist._ Twenty-five. Twenty-six. Twenty-seven. _The amount of inherent body movement will occur as the pull up is executed_. "What does inherent even mean?" Egypt thought as she dropped off the bar, her arms burning as she transitioned smoothly into a run. She chose not to pace herself, despite knowing it went on for a two miles. Mother was a small form in the distance and somewhere from Egypt's deeply competitive mind, the idea of catching up to Mother formed. She doubled her speed, ignoring her body's protests. Even at peak fitness, working hard took its toll.

A mile out from their starting points, there was a flag. The marines had to round it and return to the main course. The pull up bar was situated at the beginning. Egypt entered the circular course at a run, immediately scaling a large wooden wall. She paused at the top for a second before rolling off the top, landing lightly on her feet and moving back into a run. She didn't lose any momentum as she jumped forward and grabbed a series of bars that hung over a pit. The movement of swinging across was similar to the pull-up exercise and the already fatigued muscles strained slightly. When Egypt dropped off, she was slightly short of breath, the heat getting to her. She moved quickly up a set of wooden stairs, glancing across as where Schofield was standing, watching them. The marines were now all on the course, spread out at different stages. Mother was nearing the end as Egypt moved onto ropes that led from the top of the stairs, three metres above the ground, to a sloped wall. She slipped slightly, losing her grip on the rope and almost falling completely off it. She swore and spat blood from where she'd bitten the inside of her mouth as she hauled herself back onto the top of the rope again. She kept going when she reached the wall, ignoring the lactic acid burning in her legs. The course was designed to push you, no matter how many times you did it, no matter how fit her.

In the heat of the day, in their heavy uniforms, it was twice as hard. Every time the team completed the course, Schofield added two new obstacles. Egypt approached the last obstacle, a series of hurdles that ended with a tired wall. She forced her legs to lift over the wooden structures as she continued to run before pulling herself up the tires. They were hot from the sun but she ignored that as she lightly dropped straight from the top, before doubling her speed to sprint over to the finish. She took a deep breath in, trying to calm her breathing before giving Mother a smirk.

"Not bad for an old timer," she quipped with a smirk as Mother wiped sweat off her brow.

"Maybe I should expect quicker from a young thing like you," Mother returned dryly, glancing down at her as Alice ran over the finish.

"Saw you slip out there on the ropes," he informed Egypt with an easy grin, winking at her. Egypt rolled her eyes, placing her hands on her hips.

"And?" she asked, challenging him to say anything more. Alice's grin grew as he replied.

"And nothing. Must be all that ancient Egyptian native blood that helped you to survive." Egypt rolled her eyes again but she couldn't stop herself from smiling slightly as she turned to see Schofield watching them finish, calculating if they were ready. It wasn't the first time Alice or any of the team had made reference to her foreign origin. She had been called native, barbarian, savage, a whole legion of nicknames. She shrugged, knowing she'd done the best she could before walking over and grabbing her water bottle.

The next marine to jog in was Astro. He was the same age as Egypt but so very different. He asked many questions but gave very little answers. Egypt had heard whispers that he'd been involved with Jack West Jr before but Egypt didn't know how many of their group knew about their mission, so she hadn't asked him. Their group gathered around until the last Marine, Bigfoot, ran in. He was about gentle giant of their small squad and legend had it, he truly had been named for his big feet. Schofield walked over and the group fell silent. The sun glinted off his silver glasses.

"Anyone want to place any bets before I tell you the times?" he asked and most of them laughed. That was the thing about Scarecrow—he put you at ease. He made you _want_ to serve for him. Despite this, over the past two weeks, Egypt had kept her distance. She respected him as her captain, and a fellow marine, but that was it. Egypt knew she wasn't what they called a people person but she liked to remain that way. She was an only child and an orphan from the age of fifteen. She justified that she didn't need friends. One of the reasons she had joined the army was because once everyone put on a uniform, they were all part of the same, nameless group.

"So, Bigfoot came in with a time of 15.24 minutes," Schofield announced and Bigfoot grinned, clearly happy with the time even though it placed him with the slowest. "Alice's time was 13.53 minutes," he added and Egypt smirked at the 30-year-old Mexican, who simply glared back at her. "Rebound's was 13.27 minutes and Mother's was 12.12 minutes." That left either Egypt or Astro with the fastest time. It was both surprising and not at the same time. Astro did come across as the silent but deadly type, yet Egypt was confident she had beaten him.

"With a time of 11.36 minutes," Schofield continued, "is Reacher. And Astro taking the lead with 11.05 minutes." Egypt couldn't stop her mouth from dropping open as Alice laughed. Even Mother grinned at Astro, clapping her hand on his shoulder.

"Well done, kid. You managed to beat the Barbarian," she said, winking at Egypt. Egypt glared at Alice, annoyed that she had been beaten.

"Shut the fuck up, Rodriguez," she snapped, using his last name and not his callsign. Considering how tightly-knit the group was, this signified extreme displeasure. However, it didn't seem to have that effect on Alice. He smirked at her.

"Ooh, the Barbarian is a bit touchy. Musta been the slip on the ropes, huh? Guess I was wrong about your blood," he said teasingly. Egypt's entire body tensed, unhappy with this comment. Blood was a touchy subject around her and she lashed out and shoved him. Hostile contact between the marines was a serious offense and it wasn't the first time Egypt would have been caught out for it.

"Hey, hey!" Alice said, stumbling before righting himself and holding his hands up. "I was just kidding." Egypt shook her head, storming ahead of the group back to their barracks.

"Lieutenant Reacher!" Schofield's voice rang out, devoid of any teasing that it had held earlier. It was completely authoritative and Egypt turned around.

"What?" she snapped again. She could tell by Schofield's entire posture that he wasn't at all happy with her, even if she couldn't see his eyes.

"I want a written apology to Alice and you should be glad he's not laying a complaint. If you ever lay a finger on one of my soldiers again, I will have you expelled from our team and suspended." Egypt knew he wasn't joking. "Do you understand, Lieutenant Reacher?"

"Yes," she replied, her voice low. Schofield nodded and walked straight past her, as did the rest of the group. She watched them leave, realising once again that she didn't belong in any group.


	4. The Marine Called Relic

**Author's Note: So I recently attained my copy of Area 7 and re-read it. I'm trying to base my format of the excursions at West's farm off Matthew Reilly's… Not sure how well it's going to go, but hey, here we are. Also, my tense jumps all over the show in this chapter – from past tense to like… in the past even more… Bleurgh, I tried to remedy it but I couldn't. I think it's readable though, but good luck =]**

**Also. Goddamn authenticity and time problems. A marine unit usually spends like… six months together before going into active service. I think if I skipped a whole six months, then we'd miss too much of the story, and it would all blend so I'm condensing it down to six weeks. Let's say it's a priority mission or something =]**

**One more thing, I gave Jack Walsh a daughter… Not canon but not unfeasible and I'd rather integrate characters and have them connected. I put his daughter's age at 20 because Jack didn't come across as too old. That would make him 20 when he had her, and in his forties while the Scarecrow stories are taking place. **

Six weeks was all it took. Six weeks for the small reconnaissance group to reach peak fitness. Six weeks for them to finally accept Egypt. It was a relatively small thing she'd done but it had changed everyone's opinions of her after that day.

After the incident on the training course, Egypt had apologized to Alice. There had been no outbreaks since but Schofield had kept a very close eye on her.

Schofield was being overly careful with this mission. He wanted absolutely no losses from this group of elite soldiers. His recon team had been informed of the layers of the mission and Egypt's part in it. They were also instructed that if the situation got hostile, they were to assist Egypt in reaching the crypt where they believed the pillars were stored. Egypt had glowered over this for the next three days, believing once again that it was because she wasn't competent enough.

"Oh, shut up Reacher," Alice had said fondly. He'd forgiven her for the incident at training but he'd been very carefully not to mention her blood or family since then. "We all know you could take us all down at once, blindfolded with your hands tied behind your back." Alice was the marine Egypt had settled in with the easiest; maybe it was because they were both foreigners. They could be found sparring late at night throughout the training period.

Egypt ultimately grew to respect Mother just as much as Schofield. She looked out for her soldiers like Schofield. She'd also heard whispers of a woman who used to be in Schofield's unit, a woman who had been more than just a soldier to both of them. The rumours had never come to fruition.

Private Robert "Rebound" Simmons was easy to interact with for Egypt, with his limitless amounts of energy and young age. Egypt learnt that after the events in Antarctica, Rebound had left the army indefinitely. He'd only returned late June of this year and Schofield welcomed him back with open arms. Having bonded over the hellish Antarctic mission, Rebound followed Schofield's every command precisely. It made him a great soldier.

The week before they were destined to fly out, Stone arrived at Camp Pendleton. He'd pulled Schofield into his office to talk to him. Egypt, unaware of her senior officer's arrival had been making her way to the office to mention something to Schofield, something she'd read on the door.

Her ability to read the language was peculiar. She couldn't remember a time when she hadn't been able to think in it but she had never recognized it as being special. When she had finally seen the Word of Thoth upon her inauguration to the army, it all became very complex. It appeared Egypt only knew the basics of the language at the time. Somehow, over the years, her understanding had grown until she could read it completely. No one knew why, it was just what happened.

She raised her hand to knock on his closed door before she heard angry voices inside. She pulled the door open a minute amount and stood off to the side, alert for any other marines.

"We have to pull him," Stone was saying. "I'm sorry Schofield, I know you care for your men but he's only going to slow the mission down." Schofield replied in a calm yet deadly tone Egypt had had directed to her on more than one occasion.

"With all due respect sir, our team would be unsettled if you pulled Bigfoot out." Egypt frowned outside. Bigfoot was one of the gentlest marines she had ever met despite his huge appearance. He was very competent and followed orders to the last moment. Egypt had been told that in a freak mission to a place called Hell Island, Bigfoot had spoken out against his previous corrupt Commander and followed Schofield's leadership.

"Schofield, you are to leave the Corporal behind. That's an order." Egypt couldn't stop herself, she pushed the door open, her eyes narrowed and her stance highly offensive. The two men looked up in surprise, Schofield more so than Stone. Egypt tried to take this as a good sign; very little surprised Captain Schofield.

"With all due respect_, sir_," she spat at Stone, using the same words as Schofield had moments ago. However, it was clear Egypt meant them offensively. "You haven't been here. You haven't trained here for the last fucking six weeks. You don't know anything about how our team works or why. And I can tell you one thing, sir." She glanced at Schofield, having expected him to stop her before this point but he simply met her eyes neutrally. "If you pull Bigfoot out, I'll leave. I won't do it." The most important thing Egypt had learnt over the years is that if you had something of value, use it to bargain. Her leaving would mean this entire mission would crumble – in other words, she was too valuable to let go.

"You think far too much of yourself, Reacher and you are well out of place!" Stone thundered at her and Egypt simply shook her head.

"Bigfoot leaves and so do I. You never get your pillars. You end with a failure on _your_ record," she told him, her voice angry. "So are you willing to call my bluff?" Stone stared at her for a long moment as Egypt placed her hands on her hips defiantly.

"Schofield, see to it you keep her under control," Stone said, crossing the office to the doorway. "Your _entire_ team can fly out in a week." The tone of his voice made it clear Egypt was treading on dangerous water by making this bargain but she didn't care. Stone stormed out of the room, even his footsteps sounding angry as they left the Camp. When he was gone, Schofield had simply raised his eyebrows at Egypt.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself, Lieutenant Reacher?" he asked, and Egypt could have sworn she saw a smile beneath the mirrored lenses of his glasses. She shook her head. In her time here, she still hadn't seen Schofield's eyes. Not many people had.

"You are dismissed," Schofield ordered and Egypt left the office, completely forgetting why she had come there in the first place.

Word of what Egypt had done had spread around their unit like a wildfire. Egypt returned to the barracks later that night only to be greeted by the entire team.

"And she just stormed into the office and said 'If Bigfoot leaves, so do I. Are you willing to call my bluff?'" Rebound was telling the group as she walked in. Apparently Schofield had filled him on the situation, not wanting any dramatization of the events before it spread across the camp via the rumour mill.

"Hey, Reacher!" Alice called out when he saw her, his grin practically engulfing his face. "Don't suppose you woulda done that for me, eh, you barbarian?" Egypt rolled her eyes at the other Marine before he made another announcement. "Mi_ dios. Ella es el Bárbaro_," he said in rapid Spanish. "The Barbarian. It's her call sign," Alice told the group excitedly and everyone in the room cheered. Mother clapped her on the arm and Egypt swayed under the force.

Sean "Astro" Miller, the serious young Marine offered Egypt a small smile, looking at her peculiarly. Egypt was a little cautious of him. He had confirmed he had served with Jack West Jr prior but he wouldn't say anything more to anyone. This made him the only one of the team to know their adversary before they faced him.

Egypt threw her body onto a couch beside Mother before Bigfoot briefly walked over to her.

"Egypt," he said, using her first name. It was often a sign of respect and friendship. "I just wanted to thank you for what you did. You didn't have to…" He trailed off, clearly lost for words. Marines were independent. They looked out for themselves. But to everyone, it was clear that Bigfoot was grateful to the Egyptian-born Marine.

"Yes, I did, Bigfoot. You deserve to be here more than I do," Egypt replied in an even tone and Bigfoot shook his head.

"No, Egypt. That's not true. You're just as much a part of this team as I am, Barbarian. So I thank you." With that, Bigfoot walked back to the book he was reading, with Egypt staring after him curiously.

"You have to share now." Mother's sly voice broke her thoughts with a smirk.

"Share what, Mother?"

"Story of how you got your previous callsign. I need to see if this story is any better so we can boast about it," Mother told her with a gleeful grin, despite having been told not to talk about Egypt's callsign. The changing of callsigns in a Marine was rare. Usually it only happened if the Marine revoked it themselves. Callsigns were always given by other members of their platoons, usually in relation to something they'd done or said.

"I'd rather not," Egypt said icily and Mother raised her own eyebrows, leaning closer to the younger woman.

"You're not the only one with baggage, Reacher."

"So in that case, you should understand why I don't want to share it."

"Sooner or later, the truth's gonna come out, girlie." Mother also insisted on calling her by the ridiculous nickname. Every time she did, she noticed Schofield turned away. "You may as well make it on your own terms." Egypt sighed, glancing around the room. Mother had a peculiar way of convincing you to say what you needed to say. She was eccentric and sarcastic and god, was she loyal.

"My first superior officer ever gave it to me, a man by the name of Major Rolfe" she said. "I was brand new to the army and I'd recently befriended a girl by the name of Lara Walsh." Mother raised her eyebrows, clearly surprised.

"Walsh as in the daughter of?—"

"Yes, Walsh as in the daughter of Jack Walsh, Captain of the _Wasp_." Egypt cut her off with a sigh. Jack Walsh was a very old friend of Schofield's and one of the only people who had helped him get out of the Wilkes Ice Station in Antarctica. To Mother, her whole demeanour had changed as soon as she started talking about the other woman. She was less certain of her words and how to say what she wanted. "Our Major had a thing for Lara and h joked that she was a Tomb Raider, 'cause of the name. And I ended up being Relic, a paired callsign with her."

"So why aren't you still Relic?" Mother asked, by now engrossed in her story. The other Marine's had also stopped their actions to listen as well.

"Because last year Captain Lara Walsh went to Russia for a mission and died," Egypt said, her voice so unemotional it was clear she was trying very hard to hold it together. Mother expected it. The coldest, staunchest Marines usually carried the most baggage, the toughest pasts, the deepest wounds. "And without a Tomb Raider, there could be no Relic."

"I'm sorry," Mother said briskly before continuing, "but like I said, you're not the only one to have lost someone, Reacher," Mother said in a soft voice, jerking her head at Schofield. Mother was speaking quietly but Egypt didn't know if it was quiet enough for him not to have heard. Everyone in the army lost someone at one point.

"The woman?" she asked curiously and Mother nodded sadly.

"Her name was Elizabeth Gant, callsign Fox… She was my little chickadee. Scarecrow was gonna marry her, too." Egypt glanced over at Schofield, seeing him in a new light. "I miss her a lot." Egypt nodded, agreeing but thinking about someone else.


	5. The Marine Down Under

**Author's Note: Hooray for hitting problems all the way into you story. I am re-reading Ice Station, and boy, do I have a lot to include in this chapter. I got to thinking about the rest of the Recon team so here's a quick list on their ages and ranks (maybe borrowed this idea from my good friend, Bastetian). I've set their ages two years after their ages in **_**Ice Station**_** because Mr. Reilly messes around with the timeline a lot. They are listed in decreasing rank.**

**Captain – Shane "Scarecrow" Schofield (age 34)**

**Lieutenant – Egypt "Barbarian" Reacher (age 23)**

**Second Lieutenant – Sean "Astro" Miller (age 27)**

**Sergeant Major – Gena "Mother" Newman (age 36)**

**Staff Sergeant – Buck "Book II" Riley (age 29)**

**Gunnery Sergeant – Antonio "Alice" Rodriguez (age 35)**

**Corporal – Tom "Bigfoot" Lawrence (age 31)**

**Corporal – Robert "Rebound" Simmons (age 25)**

**Private Tiffany Kent is my own creation… I hated adding another OC to the story because it interferes with the authenticity but there were literally no canon characters I could use in this situation. The details about parachuting have all been looked up and should be correct, but if anyone can spot any major errors, let me know.**

* * *

The Marines were flying on a military aeroplane direct to Australia. It was a thirteen hour flight across about a dozen time zones. Due to the secretive nation of the mission and the safety measures West was sure to have in place, they were parachuting in from five kilometres from the farm at 2330 hours. Schofield stood in front of his Marines, surveying them. They were all outfitted in fatigues, body armour. However, they all wore a peculiar outer layer of stiff black fabric. This was to assist the Military Free Fall drop they would be executing soon. Each member carried an altimeter, knife, helmet and gloves. They also wore goggles which were equipped with a variation of other effects as well as protecting them from the wind when they fell. On board the aircraft with them were parachutes for each Marine. Every single Marine in this small, compact team was at peak fitness and they all had specialities that were crucial to the mission. Ranks often didn't matter in Reconnaissance units. Recon was the most elite of an already specialised force. Senior Recon officers were often consulted by Generals and Majors and Schofield knew of at least three cases where soldiers had declined promotions to remain in a Recon team. His Recon teams in the past had contained nine people or more. However, seven soldiers allowed more manoeuvrability. Schofield had been to hell and back with all of the Marines in the craft except Reacher.

Schofield probably could have guessed that he was about to lead her into one. They were eleven hours into the flight. Most Marines were asleep, having taught their bodies to fall asleep at will, to contain as much energy as could later be needed. Schofield allowed this. There were at least three hours until the drop zone and there was nothing more that could be done while on the aircraft. Schofield was still awake but his eyes were closed and he was relaxed. He also wasn't wearing his reflective glasses. The only other soldiers still awake and alert were Egypt and Book II. Book II was one of Schofield's closest officers and friend, just as the original Book had been like a father to Schofield. There had once been a time when Book II hadn't trusted Schofield but this was no longer the case.

Egypt regarded Schofield. It was the first time she'd seen the legendary scars that ran down his eyes. There had once been a rumour that no one below the rank of General had seen his eyes, but apparently something had made Schofield loosen up. For the first time, Egypt studied Schofield in a physical way. She placed him at age thirty five, with short black hair and watchful blue eyes that missed nothing. She didn't believe that the scars made him any less attractive. True, they were long, carving from his eyebrows to his cheekbones but physical deformities were not what mattered.

"What happened to his eyes?" Egypt asked the other young Marine in a low voice. Schofield remained still, as if he was asleep. He used any opportunity to find out more about this impetuous and impulsive Marine who had revealed almost as little as him about her past life. Most Marines talked freely about their pasts and lives outside of the Marines. Sometimes Schofield got the impression that when Egypt wasn't a soldier, she didn't have a life. At other times, Schofield was almost certain that the young woman was hiding something, something crucial to the mission. Book II glanced over at Egypt as if weighing up whether to answer her question.

"Not a lot of people know the actual story," Book II replied, unknowingly echoing his father's words to one Elizabeth Gant a fair few years ago at Ice Station. "What makes you think you should get to?" His tone wasn't accusing of Egypt's question; it was more wary. "Besides, I heard you're not overly fond of sharing your previous call sign's story in any case."

"I know his callsign comes from his eyes. What I don't know is how that came around," she replied, blatantly ignoring the last part of Book II's statement. Schofield kept his breathing steady, curious to know how this conversation would play out. He didn't mind people he trusted sharing the story; some people deserved the right to know. Libby had proved to him that most people didn't care about his scars.

"What makes you think I know?" Egypt rolled her eyes. She could imagine Book II exchanging questions with her until she grew tired of her question. She didn't reply, merely regarding him until he looked away and began to speak.

"The Scarecrow used to be a pilot." Egypt was surprised by this. She couldn't imagine the focused Captain being part of the Air Force. "On the _Wasp_," Book II added which surprised her further and served as another painful reminder for her. She knew as well as he did that the _USS Wasp_ was a flagship for the Marine Corps and the battle centre for any major Marine expedition. The captain of the _Wasp_ was also Jack Walsh. The famous Captain Jack Walsh, the father of her best friend, Lara Walsh. Egypt wondered if Book II had heard the story of her previous call sign. "Our Captain was a Harrier Pilot on the _Wasp_. As you could probably imagine, he was one of the best. You know about Bosnia, 1995 or are you too young?" Egypt raised her eyebrows, amused.

"How old do you actually think I am?" she asked. He shrugged.

"Twenty?" Book responded and Egypt laughed.

"I'm flattered," she said in a low voice. "But have you ever met a sergeant of twenty years of age? I'm twenty-three," she told him. "So yes, you could say that I know about Bosnia, 1995."

"Well, Schofield was there during the worst, during hell. He was assigned to patrol the no-fly zone." Book II's face was furrowed in concentration, as if he was recounting a story. "He was shot down by six Stingers and landed in the middle of Serbian territory. He survived for nineteen days alone, searched for by Serbian troops." There was a long pause as Book II glanced up and met Egypt's eyes. "They found him."

"I don't know the exact details as to why they pursued Scarecrow so intensely, something to do with a US ground force team being in Serbia. But they found him and they held him captive. Do you really want to know what they did to him, Reacher?" Book II asked seriously. "My father was part of the ground crew who went into extract him. Dad said he was the bloodiest thing he'd ever seen."

Schofield felt a pang of sadness and guilt that he couldn't stop when Book the Second mentioned his father. The loss of his life had been one of the first Shane Schofield had ever experienced and it was one he'd never forget.

"What happened?" Egypt pressed her tone curious with a touch of horror.

"They cut open his eyes, they blinded him." Egypt's own eyes widened. She knew that Schofield must have been through something pretty traumatic but she had never imagined that. "They managed to repair his eyes, thank God, but that was the end of the Scarecrow's career as a pilot." All that could be heard for the next few seconds was the low hum of the engine as Egypt absorbed his words.

"You know, Barbarian," Schofield said, opening his eyes. The two young Marines looked over at him, apparently unaware that he had been awake. "If you wanted to know the story of my call sign, you could have just asked me," Schofield remarked as he slid his reflective silver sunglasses over his eyes. Egypt just stared at him, unable to look away. Shane Schofield was a tough man indeed.

Soon, Schofield woke the rest of his marines. They sat in grim silence as they pulled on parachute packs. Their Recon team was executing the HALO technique – High Altitude Low Opening. It originated from the air force, when one Colonel Stapp began to conduct experiments on the survivability factors for emergencies, such as high flying pilots needing to eject. The HALO technique is used for many options; to airdrop supplies, equipment or in Schofield's case, to drop personnel.

The Marines moved to the back of the aircraft as Schofield's helmet radio crackled into life. It was wired to the pilot's cabin, a woman named Private Tiffany "Marvel" Kent. She had the unusual quality of being trained both as a marine and as a pilot, much like Schofield himself. However, she had started as a groundsmen first, before discovering an aptitude for aircraft. Despite her low rank, she was good at what she did. She had also known Libby when she was alive, having originally been stationed with her. She was given her callsign after some of her male admirers had discovered her love for reading comic books by the comic giant Marvel and then rejected their advances. It was meant as an insult as it was a peculiar hobby for a woman, even more peculiar when she stood at 5'4" with a great body and flirty personality. Tiffany Kent simply took the insult in her stride and it became her call sign. With her blonde hair and blue eyes, she and Libby could have passed as twins at a glance. Schofield pushed the thought from his mind as he radioed her. Her only objective was to fly them over the drop zone, before returning to America.

"How long we got, Marvel?" he queried, glancing around the cabin, surveying his team. Book II was serious, as was Astro. Rebound was as usual, standing in a relaxed and easy stance. Bigfoot was staring at the ground unmoving and Mother was waiting patiently by the entrance. Alice seemed to be murmuring a prayer after crossing himself, a deeply Catholic man.

"_T minus 5 minutes until drop off by my watch, Captain," _she replied and Shane nodded. In a typical HALO jump, the parachutist jumped from the aircraft from a high altitude. They would then free fall for a period of time and accelerate to terminal velocity. At a lower velocity, the jumper would open his parachutist.

This particular method was being employed for a very specific reason on this mission. The combination of high downward speed, minimal metal to be detected and forward air-speed (the distance covered while falling) meant that radars had difficulty detecting a presence. This enabled a stealthy insertion. Due to the HALO technique, Scarecrow and his team would be jumping from their aircraft a whole five kilometres from West's farm.

Schofield had done very little thinking on the man whose home they were about to invade, whose life they were about to destroy. No matter what his thoughts were now, he was still a soldier and he still had to complete this mission. No matter that he had a wife and a child and an entire life here. When the United States of America wanted something, they got it. He glanced up to see Egypt still staring at him. He was sure she could see through his glasses now, but could she see through the scars that lay beneath them? Only time would tell.

"_Scarecrow."_ Schofield's radio crackled and he replied instantly. _"The drop's all yours,"_ Private Kent told him. _"Have a blast Down Under."_ Schofield chuckled as the back door of the plane began to slowly drop down, inviting in a roaring gust of wind. Schofield walked orderly to the ledge before the door.

"Confirming that time before drop is 2230 hours," he said one final time into his mike.

"_2230 hours confirmed. You have a safe trip Scarecrow. Look out for yourself."_ There was a final crackle before Private Kent switched her radio off, leaving Schofield to consult with his marines.

"We jump, we land, and we regroup. Simple as that," Schofield told them, meeting each one in the eye. There was absolutely no reason why this plan should go wrong.

"Except nothing's ever simple with you, is it honey," Mother said with a wicked smirk. Schofield rolled his eyes and stepped up onto the ledge.

"Rebound will jump first, followed by Alice. The next pair will be Astro and Book II. Then Mother and Bigfoot and finally, Barbarian and I." Egypt's new call sign had been picked up very quickly by the rest of the team. "When you hit the ground, you confirm via radio, even if we're still jumping. Am I understood?" Schofield asked his tone low and even. The Marines nodded their ascent before Rebound moved and stepped past Schofield onto the ledge. Alice followed him, somewhat reluctantly. One moment, the young Marine was there and the next, the night had swallowed him. Moments afterwards, Alice was lost in Wonderland once again.

Egypt watched as the soldiers dropped off the ledge, the wind still buffeting against the plane. She walked to the edge herself, marvelling at the inky blackness of the night sky. It was simple, parachuting. All one had to do was wait a certain amount of time and pull the ripcord. Very little could go wrong. Egypt faced back towards the wind before she simply stepped backwards and was lost in the darkness.


	6. The Marine Who Didn't Take Orders

**A/N:** **Just a couple of clarifying points for this chapter… Long awaited chapter that has been sitting abandoned under exams and then abundant Facebook use. Thank you to everyone who has continued to read this =] My mum just bought me a new Jack Reacher book (by Lee Child) who is Egypt's namesake in case any of you are curious and it kind of spurned my need to keep writing!**

**I just realised an authenticity thing with this story… The distances would all be in miles and not kilometres. I'm just alerting anyone who might have noticed it that I do realise that in an American story, I should be using the correct terms but I use the metric system so I'm going to continue to do so. **

**Also, I did take some artistic liberties. In **_**Five Greatest Warriors, **_**it describes "the five Pillars themselves now resided inside the farm's little salt mine by the lake, in a white-walled chamber sealed with salt crystals behind a wooden door marked by the Word of Thoth." I've changed it slightly so it's located more in a cave in a crevice behind the farmhouse on the cliffs, more like the room where West contained the Capstone and various objects he'd picked up around the world. I've mainly changed it because it's the image I've had in my head the entire time and it would be hard to change it for me, I think.**

**EDIT: GreySouthPaw brought to my attention that the Marines would probably be wearing goggles and my jaw literally dropped – of course they would. I honestly can't believe I didn't think of it, possibly because I was thinking of Tomb Raider and **_**she**_** uses a glowstick which is what I was basing the original chapter off. Anyhow, it has been amended in both chapters. =]**

The darkness buffeted Egypt as she fell through the air; no longer knowing which way was up. She had never been scared of heights; she welcomed the rush of adrenaline. As she fell she briefly heard her radio crackle with the various Marines announcing their arrival on safe ground but the wind rush around her made it far too hard to even attempt to distinguish the voices. She yanked the cord and began to float slowly down to the rusty red terrain.

"This is Barbarian," she said when she was about ten feet from the ground, reaching up to communicate through her helmet. It was an open channel that would reach all team members. "I have landed." When she hit the ground, she immediately reached up to toggle the settings on her goggles. She flicked through, watching as the world morphed through infrared and ultra violet until she settled on night vision. Egypt hated using night vision; it tinted the world radioactive green and gave everything a warped perspective. It also was a disadvantage if for some reason, lit objects decided to be involved.

She began to walk in one direction, looking for the low light orange glowsticks the marines were using to identify each other after they'd landed. After a moment, she saw a group of lights about three hundred metres away and made her way over there. The Marines had discarded their parachutes in a pile and they were all standing grim faced and silent, waiting for Schofield's command. Despite him jumping at the same time as her, he had reached their group before her. The light from the sticks bounced off his silver glasses, making him look icier than ever. As soon as Reacher got there, they flicked them off.

"Five kilometres to the target's house. We get in. We get out. No one loses radio contact with each other. Am I understood?" The night air was cool and silent and Schofield's authoritative voice hung in the air for the moment before the marines muttered their understanding. "Astro, Reacher and Mother, you know your part. Straight to the crypt. We know West will have some security measures in place but hopefully you'll be able to handle it while we cause distractions at various other points of the perimeter."

With that, the three marines Schofield had singled jogged away at his command. Schofield's plan was simple. Astro and Mother would accompany Reacher to the crypt, keeping watch for long enough for her to study the Pillars and what they said and remove them from their environment. Schofield was expecting the farm to have some sort of perimeter monitor but they couldn't be exactly sure what or where. To counterattack the three marines' entrance to the crypt, he was having the rest of his team move in on the farm at several different points around it.

"So Mr Astro, you're the hotshot here." Mother's voice cut easily through the night, her voice showing no signs of exertion. Mother, Reacher and Astro were keeping a fast pace but they were all at peak fitness. Schofield had timed it exactly perfect. Astro didn't reply as he jogged on silently. "Got any tips for the girlie and I?"

Egypt rolled her eyes at the ridiculous nickname Mother called her. It was almost as though the older marine did it to tease at Egypt's lack of femininity, almost as little as Mother herself possessed. However, even if Egypt wasn't in the mind-set to be a model for her gender, her body betrayed her. Tight curves rounded a muscular and lithe body and unlike many women in the army, Egypt had chosen to keep the length of her long black hair. Paired with her exotically structured face and almond eyes, Egypt made for quite the looker when out of army uniform. All of the male marines had noticed it – Reacher had employed her favourite gesture of rolling her eyes when she overheard them talking about her one evening in the barracks – but it seemed to be some sort of unspoken gesture that none of them would go near her.

"Yeah, haven't you been here before? If you worked with West on the capstone mission?" Egypt added, glancing backwards and watching the light flicker over Astro's face. She watched as an emotion that she couldn't quite recognise crossed it before Astro returned to his normal, neutral state.

"I think we should keep moving," Astro said and the small group fell into silence except for the pound of their footsteps against the ground. Egypt remained quiet but her thoughts were running just as fast as she was. Schofield had assembled this team for a reason but how well did he know Astro? She didn't doubt that Schofield was intuitive but she'd heard stories of traitors being infiltrated into one of his initial recon missions. Astro knew more than anyone else about West, even Schofield, even Stone but whether he deemed to share it with people was another story.

The only thing worse than combatting other soldiers was combatting other soldiers that they knew little about. Despite everything that had been done to research West and his farm and who would be there before the operation took place, Egypt couldn't help but experience a feeling of dread as a white low-slung farmhouse came into the distance. Despite her claims in the various offices at the Pentagon, at Camp Pendleton, there was a lot riding on her military career in this operation. Egypt never owned a title she didn't earn and she knew that this one could promote her to have her own reconnaissance division.

"The crypt is about two kilometres from the farm, so we should veer off now," Astro told them and Mother and Egypt both agreed as they diverted their path. Astro was the one in their group who had been handed the responsibility of carrying a small wrist GPS. The main army base in the US had downloaded the co-ordinates of the farm onto it so finding where they needed to go was relatively easy. This entire mission seemed relatively easy, especially considering they had yet to encounter any sort of defence in a close distance to the main farmhouse.

"Schofield, this is group beta," Astro said through his radio as they slowed to a stop in front of a cliff-face. According the GPS and other intelligence they had managed to source, the door was set a little down a split in the cliff. "We're about to enter the crypt so whatever distraction you want to pull, you might want to do it now." Mother stood easily and relaxed, her gun slung across her back. Astro seemed focused and silent as usual but he also seemed quite tense. He mirrored Reacher's stance, leaning forward slightly, ready to run, hide or duck.

"_Copy that, Astro," _came the reply moments later. _"Remember. You get in. You get out. We'll cover the rest. Schofield out."_ After the brief spurt of static-covered voice, Mother, Reacher and Astro met each other's eyes. _This is it_, thought Egypt.

"Into the lion's den we go then," Mother quipped as they moved quickly and fluidly along the front of the cliff-face. They were aware for any traps that might be there but Schofield himself suspected that they would be sensory traps only. A man like Jack West would want to deal with potential thieves himself, especially if they were the United States Marine Corps.

They soon find the crevice and crept down it, using the glow sticks once again. A natural light was provided by the waxing moon but it was obscured by the cliffs that rose high above them. After about two minutes, Mother found it.

"Over here," she muttered and the two young marines walked like twins to where she was standing. The door was there, just as it had been in the picture. It was covered in unique runes and symbols as well as names. Egypt lifted her glow stick to study them, the back of her neck prickling as she read the Word of Thoth. The language, she had discovered, had harder versions that had just sort of come to her as she was younger. She figured that the author of this door – Lily West, she assumed – could read and write and speak as far as she could.

"Can you actually read that?" Mother asked, sounding dubious even though she knew this was what the entire mission was based around. Egypt let out a small laugh; it was exactly the sort of question Mother would ask.

"Of course I can. This here means—." Egypt had pointed at a section of the language and was about to start explaining when Astro cut over her.

"Get in. Get out. Those were the instructions," he said before moving in front of her and lifting his gun to the lock that held the door shut. _Blam. Blam_. Soon the door swung open, revealing a narrow yet tall tunnel. Astro walked in without hesitating, his gun held out in front of him. Egypt went in the middle and Mother brought up the rare. Egypt didn't like the fact that she was the most valuable and therefore had to be protected by the others. It was no longer about proving herself. She did not want these soldiers to die or be harmed because they were honour bound to look after her. Her thought process was cut off as she found herself in a cavernous room. It wasn't very large, probably three metres by four metres but it had a large somewhat vaulted ceiling.

In the centre of the room, the Pillars sat. As Egypt approached them, she noticed a liquid centre glowing within them, something the photographs had failed to catch them. They were also inscribed with dozens of characters from her language and as Egypt read, she could begin to decipher what each Pillar stood for. Mother also seemed to be enthralled by the beauty of the ancient objects and approached them with Egypt.

"They're beautiful," Mother said softly and Egypt couldn't hide her surprise. She knew it was stupid and she of all people should know not to judge people on their appearance but somehow she would have pinned Mother as the sort of person who wouldn't appreciate beauty, just because she took no care in her own looks.

"And powerful too," Egypt added, bending down closer to examine one. The runes seemed to speak of this Pillar being related to 'Life.' Some of the characters even she couldn't read as she traced her eyes along each Pillar before dragging herself back to the real world.

"I suppose we should stop staring and get these photos before Schofield's distraction runs out," Egypt said wryly as she turned to swing her backpack off her back. Her and Mother had probably wasted valuable time studying the objects but it was unlike anything Egypt had ever seen before.

As she turned to pull the backpack down, she glanced up and caught the eye of the Marine called Astro. He was standing guard, holding his gun expertly in front of him, his finger poised over the trigger. The only problem was, he was pointing it at her.

"Now, Lieutenant Reacher, you're going to very carefully step away from the Pillars," he said very calmly and very smoothly. Mother turned at the sound of his voice and gaped at the gun in his hand.

"Sean, what the hell are you doing?" she asked with so much shock, she used his real name. Mother had been in contact with group moles in the past. It was how she had lost her leg. But she couldn't believe that Astro of all people would be one.

"I don't want to hurt you Mother, but this is for the good of the wider world. You should just get out of here while you can," Astro advised, not meeting the elder marine's eyes. Mother shook her head in disbelief.

"You know just as well as I do, I'm not going to leave Barbarian and I'm not going to leave full stop until I know what the fuck is going on here!" Despite the position Astro had Egypt in, Mother was relatively sure the situation was okay. However, she couldn't help but feel a deep sense of betrayal. "Last time I heard words similar to that, some sick bastards were going to kill us just to keep America ahead. Don't make this like that, Astro." Two competent marines with guns against only one, even if it was one of their team mates would make Astro outmatched. However, Mother didn't count on back up.

Egypt watched as Astro reached into his pocket before drawing out a small pocket walkie-talkie. It only worked over short distances, she knew the type so that unsettled her.

"Huntsman, this is Astro. I have detained Reacher and Schofield's gunnery-Sargent in the crypt. Unsure how stable the situation is," Astro informed the mysterious 'Huntsman' on the other end of the line, his voice remaining calm and controlled the entire time. The only emotions Egypt felt were anger and confusion. She didn't understand how someone they could have grown so close to would just turn the blind eye for someone else. A burst of static made her tense slightly; she was so on edge, so aware of the gun pointed at her brains.

"_Astro," _came an unexpected voice in reply. It was female and Irish accented. _"This is Princess, Huntsman just left to come down to the crypt. We sent Pooh Bear and Stretch out to deal with your friends – don't worry, they'll be taken care of."_ The most peculiar thing of all about the woman's voice is she sounded as though it was no big deal to have her home invaded by a crack team of Marines in the dead of the night. Astro relaxed slightly at her words and Egypt seized her chance.

She sprung up, putting all the power and deadly force she could into the jump, knocking Astro to the floor. Astro had been expecting something like this because he kicked out at her, driving the wind out of her gut and making it harder for Egypt to grab a hold of. A brief struggle ensued after Egypt stumbled to her feet, doubled over before charging at him again, with Egypt's gender quickly becoming a downfall. She just didn't have the muscle capacity to compete with him forever and so she let a punch fly at his jaw and his head cracked back. Astro might have more control and support but Egypt was angrier and all she needed to do was get him under her on the floor. As soon as she did so, she didn't hesitate in manoeuvring him into a hold that was impossible to get out of.

"Mother, I got him. Radio the Scarecrow and tell him what this fucker has done." Anger was one emotion Reacher had never had a problem with and she felt it tainting her view and sinking into her words even as she twisted Astro's arm a little harder than needed to be done.

"I can't get through to Schofield," Mother said with a frown after a moment of fiddling with her comms. She glanced at where Egypt was straddling Astro's back, his arm almost doubled up behind him.

"I have him Mother. Get out of here and get Scarecrow over here so we can deal with him before West catches us," Egypt told her. Mother regarded her for a long moment before nodding and disappearing into the darkness. "I will fucking _kill_ you for this," Egypt told Astro after Mother had gone, twisting his arm further. Behind her, she heard an ominous click and slowly moved her eyes off the man beneath her.

For the second time that day, Egypt found herself staring down the barrel of a gun. The grip on the pistol was so very military, Egypt was scared to move. She noticed another pistol was being, held in a prosthetic hand at the end of a metal arm. She slowly scanned her way up to see an incredibly fit and hardened man with laser blue eyes and spiky black hair staring down at her.

"Not if I kill you first."


	7. The Marine Who Wouldn't Be Left Behind

**Author's Note:** It's really awkward the way this story reaches Jack actually being present in it at the same time I publish a story soley focused on Jack. xD So now I'm trying really hard to a) not run any parallels and b) make them sound the same. :D So... the plot finally begins at the end of this! Whoop! Also, allusions to Egypt's origins. I hope you all like it. And in the next chapter, we get to see interactions! I personally am looking forward to Pooh Bear and Mother, Scarecrow and Zoe.

* * *

So_ this was Reacher_, Jack West Jr thought as he studied the woman in front of him. He could see why she could read Thoth – she resembled Lily's Egyptian appearance. Jack had his own theories as to why she had this skill but he didn't like what it meant for his family. Even if you had studied your enemy in every form, knew everything about them, nothing could compare to meeting them in person for the first time. It was even more memorable if you were pointing a gun at them. West gestured that Egypt climb off Astro and watched as Astro straightened himself.

"You are Lieutenant Egypt Reacher, correct?" he asked with a strong accent as Egypt glared at him. She wasn't what he had expected when Astro had first informed him of the impending extraction to the farm and the young marine's part in it. Jack sighed and glanced at Astro, wanting confirmation that she wasn't going to say a word.

"She won't talk, sir. Not unless you make her angry enough," Astro replied somewhat sarcastically, clearly unhappy about Egypt's earlier assault on his person. Jack observed as Egypt seemed to tense further still at Astro's words. To Jack, she seemed very controlled as most soldiers were but there was a certain volatile air around her, as though she could snap at any moment.

"Well, Lieutenant Reacher, I'd like it if you allowed us to escort you back to the main house where the rest of your team is waiting and where we can hopefully have a civil discussion." He gestured for her to stand and after a moment, Egypt did, her mouth fixed in a snarl as she glared at Astro. He regarded her mildly. Astro pulled her backpack away from her and slung it over his own shoulder. He also removed her gun.

"I'm sorry Barbarian. I truly am. But this is so much bigger than us, so much bigger than the U.S," Astro said in a sincere tone. Jack actually half smiled when he heard her callsign. Barbarian seemed to fit what he'd seen of her thus far. He also didn't mind Astro calling her that. Jack didn't see what Astro was doing as betraying their recon team. He knew the American still held an immense amount of respect for Captain Schofield but there was nothing that could avoid this situation. He watched as Reacher did exactly what he wanted, emerging out of the narrow passageway. She flinched away when she emerged from the crevice. A floodlight mounted on a jeep lit the immediate area and would have shone painfully into her eyes.

"You won't need night vision goggles here, Lieutenant Reacher," he said. She stood beside the jeep before slowly moving to pull her goggles off. Jack recognized he had a true soldier in front of him. However, she seemed to be absolutely brimming with anger, something that was never good with someone with a gun. As much as Jack didn't want to in fear of losing any trust he could have had with the marines, he had to take precautions and he stepped forward and pulled her hands behind her back. Reacher resisted him slightly but eventually let him bind her hands tightly.

Jack climbed into the front seat of the jeep and picked up a walkie-talkie similar to the one Astro had used. Various pieces of electronic equipment littered the dash of the jeep and Jack also flicked a few switches before he pulled away. Reacher and Astro were sitting in the rear of the vehicle.

"How's it going, Zoe?" Jack asked, holding the walkie-talkie to his mouth as he quickly drove the short distance back to the farm.

"_Pooh Bear and Stretch needed some help but Sky Monster and J.J. and I saw to that. No need to worry," _replied Zoe Kissane, his wife of seven months. Her voice never ceased to make Jack smile, even as he pulled into the area in front of the house. _"Honestly, Jack, why do you even bother radioing me when you're already here?"_ she asked rhetorically and Jack chuckled. He knew what tone Zoe used when she was smiling and she was using it currently. He slid out of the jeep and nodded to Astro, who knew what he had to do.

He hadn't expected any trouble with the simple plan that he and Astro had conceived two months ago and for once, everything had gone exactly as they had planned. He expected the remaining five members of the infamous Scarecrow's team to be down in the basement. He'd also alerted Sky Monster to possibly pick up the member of the team that had accompanied Astro and Reacher to the Pillar Vault. Monster would have called in if it hadn't gone to plan so he had to assume that the last marine was sitting safely in Jack's fortified cave-basement.

* * *

Despite the success of detaining the recon mission, Jack was also happy to have his team back together. When Astro had first alerted him to the possibility of an extraction mission on his farm, he had contacted all his old friends – the Capstone and Pillar Mission teams. The first to arrive was Sky Monster. The New Zealand pilot occasionally visited his home country for extended periods of time but most of the time he lived with Jack on the farm. Just like their first home before it had been destroyed by the Chinese army invasion, Jack and Monster had set about constructing a hangar for Monster's new plane – "Sky Warrior." Another incentive to visit New Zealand on occasion was that Sky Monster's parents who had long awaited a grandchild were now in charge of Lily's older twin brother, Alexander. After being manipulated by several important figures over the course of the large three years, Jack had made the decision that the Land of the Long White Cloud was as safe a place as any for the Egyptian Oracle.

The next members to make their grand entrance were the Adamson twins, Julius and Lachlan. Lily absolutely adored the 25-year-old Scottish Twins and Jack trusted them entirely. The two ginger haired brothers were known by the callsigns "Gunslinger" and "Quickdraw" and they were both more than happy to re-join Jack to safeguard the Pillars. The Cowboys, as they were collectively known as, had played a very large part in the construction of the Machine by inserting the Fourth Pillar into its slot. Since the end of the mission, Julius and Lachlan had travelled around America on a road trip, namely hitting up the casinos of Vegas and using elaborate mathematical equations to count cards and win extreme amounts of money. However, as soon as Jack had got in contact with them, they had willingly and immediately caught a (first class) flight to Australia.

The next two members were a different sort of pair but just as inseparable as the twins. Through the various trials members of Jack's team had experienced, Benjamin "Stretch" Cohen and the second son of the Sheikh of the United Arab Emirates, known as Pooh Bear to all, had bonded the most out of any two members. Pooh Bear now only had one eye and when he had arrived on the farm with the tall, thin Israeli, Jack had to smile at the magnificent jewelled eye patch he wore over it. Stretch was still wanted by the Israeli Mossad and so he had spent the seven months since the Machine mission had concluded in the United Arab Emirates staying with Pooh Bear.

The final person to complete what was left of their motley team was J.J Whickam. Jack hadn't been expecting his best friend and brother in law after he had been unable to get in contact with him. However, about a week ago, out of the blue a man had walked up to the farm. Upon closer inspection, Jack realised it was J.J. but it wasn't the J.J. he used to know. The handsome man's face was hollow and his eyes looked tired, as if he had been through a lot in the recent months. The following conversation had taken place.

* * *

"_Am I allowed to ask why you're here without sounding rude?" Jack queried as J.J. in his study with him with a glass of whiskey in front of him. He chuckled bitterly as he picked it up. J.J. had always been a friendly and charismatic man but to Jack it seemed now as though everything was too much. "I did try to get in touch with you but there was only radio silence. No one I knew had heard from you in months."_

_J.J. simply cast his eyes to the table as he rubbed a hand over his stubble. "Jack, if you really think you can re-assemble an extremely elite group of soldiers without _someone _noticing, you'd be wrong". "I was just a little bit offended that I wasn't invited." Jack gave him a half-hearted smile before returning to study him._

"_What happened to you, mate?" Jack asked and J.J. simply shook his head. His lips were pressed tightly together, as if he wanted to say but couldn't. _

"_Life happened. It doesn't matter. I'm here now and I'm willing to help you."_

* * *

Jack stopped outside the main door, flicking his walkie-talkie off and attaching it to his belt. Before he could open the door, it swung open, pushed by a slim girl of thirteen. Long brown hair that had been dyed with electric blue tips this time hung in front of her shoulders, a wide smile and exotic brown eyes that seemed more familiar than usual. Jack had never regretted the day he saved Lily, and the day he had officially adopted her was one of his favourite memories. She had matured immensely over the last seven months and grown even taller, now standing at 5'7". Not only that but she had continued in her studies and picked up another two languages – Russian and Latin. She stared up at him very seriously.

"Hi Daddy," she said softly, stepping out into the warm Australian night and closing the door gently behind him. Jack couldn't help but smile when he saw her. There wasn't a moment when he wasn't proud of her.

"Hey Kiddo," he replied using her childhood nickname. She smiled briefly before the small furrow in her brows returned. "How's it going?"

"I had a question. I know you explained to me who those people are and what they want but… Why are we keeping them captive? Surely it would be okay if we just sent them back to America." Lily's tone was troubled and as always, Jack was surprised by her perception. Lily had very strong morals that had affected his actions in the past and there was little she didn't notice.

"Because there are some questions that have to be asked. You remember Astro right?" he asked and Lily nodded.

"Didn't he betray us to the U.S. army?" she asked her voice slightly less forgiving this time. Along with Lily's trust and loyalty, there came a strong cost when it was broken. Jack had seen the repercussions of this cost when she had had the power of the sixth pillar coursing through her.

"That's what it looked like but as we both know, Wolf liked to make other people take the blame for his actions," Jack said. He tried to avoid referring to his father by his first or last names. "I located Astro sometime later, after he was put in Captain Schofield's division. We managed to arrive at the conclusion that he wasn't at all responsible for what it looked like." Lily nodded once again, seeming happy with his response.

"Daddy… I have something to ask you." Jack regarded his daughter. He knew that look. He remained silent, the implication for her to keep speaking clear. "I thought maybe if I tried to talk to Lieutenant Reacher… I mean, I understand she's dangerous but she's can speak Thoth, she's a human too." She trailed off but Jack understood. Reacher was the only other person Lily had met in her entire life that spoke the word of Thoth and wasn't related to her. Of course she'd want to speak to her.

Jack ran the possibilities over in his head. Reacher was in the hangar, separate to the rest of the Marines. Lily would be perfectly safe with Monster and Astro. As well as simply satisfying her curiosity, she might also be helpful. Lily had a way of appealing to people's natures, and with their similarities, it just might work with Reacher.

He closed his eyes for a moment, planning it out in his head. "Go and get Sky Monster." He heard her footsteps dance off across the wooden floor quickly. A short amount of time passed before the footsteps returned, this time accompanied by a heavier walk.

"Monster," Jack said and the bearded pilot inclined his head. "Take Lily out to the hangar. She's going to try to talk to Reacher." Jack knew that Lily would be in the least danger possible; she was with two soldiers and Reacher was unarmed. Despite this, Jack still felt a twinge at letting Lily near someone that dangerous. However, he knew by doing this, he was allowing her to grow up to become independent and make her own decisions.

"Radio the house immediately if anything happens." Monster nodded again before Lily jumped off the porch and Monster soon followed. He watched for a moment as they walked off. Their shadows stretched behind them, long and warped as a result of the bright moon, illuminating the vast Australian landscape.

* * *

The team sat in the living room, sprawled over various couches. Stretch and J.J. seemed to be involved in a somewhat sombre conversation whereas Julius and Lachlan were relaying their various American adventures to Pooh Bear. Jack knew they must want to speak with him about the night's events just as much as he wanted to talk to them about it but time wasn't on their side and they needed to get certain information out of the Marines in his basement.

He walked down a short flight of stairs and along a small tunnel. Much like with the Pillar Vault, the 'basement' was really a natural cave that you could gain entrance to both from the outside of the house and the inside. When they had discovered it, they had fortified the walls. He rounded a corner to see Zoe leaning against the door that entered into the room. Jack was certain they wouldn't be able to escape but he wanted someone to keep an eye out just in case and there was no one he trusted more than Zoe. She glanced up when she saw him approaching and just as he had with Lily, he realised how lucky he was to have her.

"Are you going in now?" she asked softly as she moved away from the door and Jack nodded before grasping the door knob with his mechanical hand and slowly pushed it open.

The Marines were in various positions across the cave. Jack had expected this; once they had discovered there was no way out of the cave, Jack assumed they had simply stopped exerting energy and waited for someone to come and see them. He ran his eyes over the faces that he had seen some months earlier. He tried to commit them to memory for future reference but the one face he remembered in utter clarity was that of Captain Shane "Scarecrow" Schofield of the U.S.M.C. When Jack opened the door, he simply looked over at him with silver anti-flash glasses.

Scarecrow was somewhat of a legend in the military world, despite his young age. Even soldiers who had left the army officially like Jack still heard whispers of the men who would lead the world and the Scarecrow was one of them. Jack had been surprised when he had heard who was leading the team to his farm before becoming extremely worried. From the stories that floated around in the shadows of the military world like a wraith, Scarecrow had an extremely helpful ability to get his team and himself out of tight situations. However, with the skill came a weakness that Jack had played upon in order to get Scarecrow into this vulnerable position. Like Jack, Scarecrow valued his team member's lives and safety and would do anything that was logistically possible to keep them alive and unharmed. This separated them from various other commanders around the world who treated soldiers as no more than pawns.

"Captain Schofield," Jack said before striding across the room and extending his metal hand. The other Marines shifted from their standing and seated positions as Jack approached their superior officer. Zoe stood at the door, leaving it slightly adjacent but her hand resting on her gun holster around her thigh. "I'm Jack West Jr and I'd like to formally welcome you to my farm since I didn't get a chance to before your little night drop." Scarecrow looked at Jack's hand for a moment before ignoring it. Jack understood; he was his captor, not a friend, not even an Ally.

"I'd like to know why you have detained us here, West," Schofield replied. His accent was a nondescript American accent. "If you're holding us to ransom, you should know very well that the army will pay nothing for us and even less for us in particular," he told Jack dryly.

"My wife Zoe and I just had a few questions concerning your visit here. Thank you for co-operating; I can assure you I mean neither you nor your team any harm. However, this is a somewhat delicate matter that I can't have your superiors knowing about," West explained before he glanced at Zoe for re-assurance. She inclined her head slightly before her eyes moved away again. She was always alert, always moving.

They had worked out some details with Astro but everything was all very up in the air. They couldn't just send Schofield back to America. He had been hoping to intercept him before he got anyone to the Pillar Vault and actually saw the Pillars. Clearly, the Americans knew that he had kept them after the events at the Final Vertex. Jack knew what the next step would be. A full blown American specialist team would fly in here and demand for him to release ownership of the Pillars. At least if they didn't officially have confirmation of them – which only three members of Scarecrow's team could give them – they wouldn't act.

"Well, we hardly had a choice, did we?" The speaker was a serious looking male with a pug nose. Astro had provided Jack with a list of ranks, specialities and pictures of each member when they had first begun to plan. Going by that list, Jack would assume that the speaker was a marine by the callsign of Book II.

"When we have guns pointing at us from all angles and we're told to go with them, what are we supposed to do?" It was a fair enough question raised by Jack doubted the Marines would have accompanied him with co-operation.

"You can ask your questions, West," Schofield said. "Just don't expect many answers."

Jack knew what game they were playing, and returned it evenly. "You aren't treating me particularly like a dangerous captor, nor am I treating you and your team like prisoners."

Scarecrow inclined his head slightly, agreeing to at least this. "This may be the case, but we're still imprisoned all the same."

"So perhaps we can come to an arrangement."

"What kind of arrangement?"

"Well, as it were, the only members of your team to have seen anything of interest are Astro and Lieutenant Reacher." Schofield's face remained blank. "You will return to your superiors empty handed with no verification of what you came here to find. Astro and Reacher will remain with me."

At West's words, he watched as a large female soldier with a shaved head stood up and pushed to the front of the group, walking right up towards Jack. He watched as Zoe stepped forward on a reflex, her gun immediately coming up. He watched as Scarecrow made no move to stop the woman from stepping up to him and putting herself in harm's way. He watched as the woman made no move to stop until she was standing toe to toe with Jack, despite the threat of Zoe.

"You listen here Mr West," she said and Jack tried to recall her name from the file. Gina Newman. Call-sign: Mother. She'd been with Schofield from the beginning. She was also the member who had accompanied Reacher and Astro to the caves; a formidable enemy. Jack remained unaffected by her closeness.

"I don't care about Astro; he's a no good stinking little traitor-fucker. You can keep him all you like."

"None of us care what happens to him; he betrayed our group. And what for? Did you pay him or did you appeal to something else?" A young Marine added from the back of the room.

Jack was somewhat perplexed by the vehemence on this particular subject before he recalled something he'd read on Scarecrow's file that re-occurred in two other Marines'. During one of his first supreme military encounters, his Recon squad hid been infiltrated by ICG members, traitors who were more loyal to their country and protecting its secrets than their team and the soldiers they served with every day. Scarecrow, Mother and a soldier named Rebound were the only ones to leave this encounter that were still arrived. From that, Jack deduced that the other soldier must be Rebound.

"But we will not under any circumstance be leaving your farm without Egypt Reacher." Mother's words were a declaration and Jack believed them; he believed Scarecrow and his team would do anything to get Reacher to return with them. Jack knew that he would do exactly the same if the situation was reversed and yet he couldn't let the enigma of the Marine who could read Thoth simply leave.

He began to say something more before he saw Zoe tense and step closer to the doorway and he heard frantic footsteps running down the passageway. Ignoring the threat of the burly marine still in close proximity to him, Jack turned to the doorway, only to see Julius burst forward. He was panicked, that much was easy to see.

"Jack! We got a security alert from the hangar and we tried to radio in but neither Monster nor Astro answered. J.J. and Stretch grabbed the jeep and went out there straight away. Have they radioed you?"

"Fuck." Jack felt himself tense. So much for easy.

"_Huntsman!_"

Right on cue, the voice came through the walkie-talkie. Jack's hand travelled to his waist with ease. Pooh Bear's voice sounded worried and frantic over the electronic system.

_"Huntsman! Astro and Monster are out cold but they seem uninjured."_

Jack met Zoe's eyes as he spoke. She looked as worried as he felt.

"Where are Lily and Reacher?" he asked, trying to keep his voice as calm as possible.

"_Huntsman… We've covered the entire perimeter of the hangar. We're just about to go out on the farm but so far it seems like both Lily and Reacher are gone."_


	8. The Marine Who Was Taken

_A/N:_ This chapter has been a long time coming, but after reading what has now become my favourite fanfiction ever (The Life and Times), I was struck by inspiration. I should really apologise for my over-use of the separating line things but they're really helpful. I hope this chapter makes sense - it's split between a fair few locations and points of view but I think it gave a little insight into all of them. Hope you enjoy it and feel free to tell me what you think =]

* * *

_An alert from the Hangar._ The words couldn't have come at a worse time.

_An alert from the Hangar._ Lily and Reacher had been taken.

_An alert from the Hangar._ Jack had to find somewhere to start, and fast.

He glanced at Schofield. His eyes met the other soldier's.

Jack was a quick man. He knew what he had to do.

* * *

The low slung farmhouse sat amongst the vast, barren landscape that proclaimed a sort of beauty in of itself. It was unassuming and quiet. Little noise came from it.

And suddenly, it exploded in action.

The carport that sat beside the house was a flurry of movement, transporting the entire team in jeeps to follow Stretch and Pooh Bear's paths.

Curiously, there was a jeep trailing behind the initial two, boasting a squadron of swordsman on the back.

Even more curiously than that was the fact they all had their weapons. The jeep was being driven from Shane Schofield.

An onlooker to this entire situation would be extremely perplexed.

But the only creatures that saw the action erupt were a couple of curious rabbits.

* * *

Jack spoke rapidly into his headset. "Sea Ranger, swing wide and cover the perimeter. Pooh, make sure you have the area covered." He hesitated slightly. "Schofield, follow closely behind me." He glanced at Zoe who was sitting in the seat beside him.

She gave him a re-assuring look. "You know it's what she would have wanted you to do," she said without explanation. "Imagine if it had have been me and Reacher taken, or anyone else. 'Daddy, Captain Schofield wants to find his man – well, woman too,'" Zoe continued, mimicking the voice of the girl she'd come to accept as her daughter. "'I think we should trust him.'"

A thoughtful expression crossed Jack's face but he made no reply to her words, as true as they may be, as he slid to a stop outside the back of the hangar.

Jack grabbed a shotgun from the backseat of the car. He doubted he would need it, especially if the forces who had taken Lily and Reacher had merely knocked Astro and Sky Monster unconscious, but after giving the Marines their weapons back, he felt he couldn't be too careful. He slung the gun across his shoulder.

He didn't look like a soldier; battered and dusty brown work boots, faded jeans and a simple black t-shirt was generally his attire while at home. With the gun, he looked like any Australian farmer off to "shoot some pesky dingoes and keep the sheep in."

In reality, Jack was so much more.

His sharp, trained eyes took in everything as he stealthily made his way into the camouflaged building. The Tupolev jet sat majestically in the artificial light, tools and various pieces of equipment scattered around the floor.

Last time his farm had been attacked, someone had been after him.

This time, something had been taken from him. Something Jack had been trying to keep safe but ultimately, not trying to keep in place. This, he realised as he approached a serious looking Pooh, was his downfall.

* * *

Schofield was a quick man. This had been spotted from a young age and allowed him to rise quickly and efficiently through the ranks. He was given his own squadron, he became a leader – and did a fucking good job of it. No matter what situation he went into, he did the best he could and anyone could see he had a much better success rate than a lesser man.

His eyes caught the rearview mirror and surveyed his team for a moment. It was odd to see Alice look particularly sombre. He had always been the one to keep the team's morale up, the entertainment with the feisty Reacher. Book II looked focused as always. Bigfoot was mild. It was odd not to see Astro there.

He reflected as he sat in the jeep, awaiting further orders, that the feeling of losing a man never really lessened.

Of course, Egypt wasn't lost, she was merely misplaced for the moment. Schofield felt uneasy. The confidence in his abilities had slipped. He closed his eyes momentarily to regain focus.

_Bright blue eyes, looking at him desperately. Maybe he could save her this time. The eyes shut._

His own eyes flew open at the images that still haunted him.

Gant was gone and he had to find a way to accept that.

He turned to his most trusted friend. "Mother, do you still happen to have your radio on you?" he asked, his tone flat and unassuming.

The burly marine nodded as she manoeuvred herself slightly so she could extract the electronic device from the waistband of her trousers. She handed it to Schofield wordlessly.

Schofield studied it for a moment, wondering if the basic plan formed in his head would work at all. Before he could second guess himself anymore, he began keying a code into the radio.

It was a satellite radio, designed for any sort of military combat. Somehow, they'd managed to splice together the convenience and clarity of phones with the durability of a portable radio and then supplied over ten thousand marines with them.

They could reach anywhere in the world, or so they'd been told.

As the radio began to make an odd noise between a gurgle and a dial, a grim smile crossed Schofield's face. They'd soon find out if the army was telling the truth.

* * *

Egypt was a quick woman but that's not why she'd become a soldier.

She'd never heard the comment Stone had made what seemed like years ago in his office but she would have smirked at it. _"She could have been an analyst or a cryptologist but instead she joins the grunts."_

It certainly said something about her personality, if nothing else.

For a woman who possessed enough brain cells to be offered a position that high was surely a woman worth reckoning with.

It said a little more that she rejected that job to serve a country that had never been hers.

* * *

Egypt glanced sideways at the girl beside her. Similarly to herself, her hands were bound behind her back. Her brown eyes were wide with fear but Egypt could also read something along the lines of acceptance and anticipation in there. It perplexed her.

Lily noticed Egypt's eyes on her and turned to look at her. "You can read Thoth." It was a statement spoken in a small yet commanding tone, in the poorly lit conditions of wherever they were being held. The room they were in bumped and bounced around, leading Egypt to believe they were still driving.

"Yes. I can read it, I can translate it and I can speak it," Egypt replied, resting her head against the cool steel. Some sort of freight train or truck, she mused. She couldn't remember how she'd got here. Her first memory after turning to see Astro crumple to the ground was Lily shaking her awake.

"How did the army find out?"

"They were going through the normal background checks every entrant faces. A random scan they do on one in every hundred for any special abilities was performed on me but no results came through. However, the room they tested me in, I think the guy must have been fairly high up because he had a file sitting on the desk marked 'Top Secret'," she explained.

Lily's eyebrows raised. "And what did you do?"

Egypt smirked. "Borrowed the file for a moment. It was pages of coding, all different sorts and imagine my surprise when I realised I could utterly understand one page."

"That's the page written in Thoth?" Lily asked and Egypt nodded.

"So I let them know and they offered me a job but I…" She trailed off and shrugged.

"How long have you been a soldier for?" Lily continued, her voice a little more curious and open. She settled back slightly as well, an unconscious gesture of opening up to Egypt.

The elder woman shrugged. "I'm twenty-three now and I enlisted at age nineteen. You can do the maths, can't you? Your file said you were bright."

"I'm very bright," Lily said simply. "I can speak fourteen languages." Egypt's eyebrows raised infinitesimally at this piece of information. Lily's tone was quiet and unassuming. Lily knew what she said was the truth. She wasn't boasting, she was merely stating. "Why did you become a soldier?"

This was one of the questions Egypt had the most difficulty answering to herself, sometimes. She never really knew why, it just felt right. Working with a team, protecting something, something about the army just attracted Egypt and she slotted in like the reverse of a puzzle piece.

"To protect my country," she answered finally, feeling somewhat dishonest for reasons unknown for giving Lily the standard answer. She didn't view West's daughter as a child; there was something otherworldly about her, and no one could miss the bright, intelligent and emotionally capable gleam in her eyes.

She didn't miss a beat. "Your country?" she asked dubiously. "Judging from your name and your skin tone, which is remarkably close to mine-" and here Lily glanced at her arm to demonstrate her point, "I'd say that the United States are not in fact, your country."

Egypt rolled her eyes. "I've lived there since I was five. I don't really think it's your call to make."

She was certainly stubborn. "But you were born in Egypt, yes?"

"Gee, whatever gave you that idea?"

She pulled a face and Egypt was struck by how young she was then. She'd read the files. She knew she was of fourteen years of age. She knew an awful lot about Lily West. Perhaps it was only fair that Lily West knew a little about Egypt Reacher in return. But Egypt had never been one for fairness.

"You know, it's pretty weird to be named after a country… not weird, uncommon," she re-phrased after a moment, apparently not wanting to slight Egypt's name.

"Well, I think it's much more symbolic to be named after a dry, barren country that still manages to be majestic throughout its hardship than after a flower that wilts if you don't give it water and constant attention," Egypt retorted. Lily didn't look taken aback. On the contrary, she met Egypt's statement with a slight smile.

Egypt found she couldn't help herself any longer. "Why aren't you crying or freaking out or…" She trailed off, having run out of options. "We've been taken by faceless men and you're sitting here, asking me my life story and insulting my name."

"Given that you were the one that just likened me to a wilting flower, I'd say you were being the insulting one. And I'm… well, I'm actually fairly terrified." There was a slight waver of emotion in her voice. "But I've seen my Daddy save people when they were in trouble before. I'm in trouble now and he'll save me. All of them will." Her tone was firm and resolute and Egypt found herself wanting to believe her.

But her hands were bound in such a strange and intricate fashion, she couldn't help but worry that these men were professionals and while there might be a chance for Lily to be rescued, Egypt doubted she would.

What she wouldn't give to have Mother or Alice watching her back at this point.

She didn't reply to Lily's comment and closed her eyes. The steel rattled and moved around her, granting her little solace. She tried to think up various ways to escape their metal prison but her mind just kept turning over Lily's last words. _"I'm in trouble now. He'll save me."_

So much for a sharp mind.

* * *

"Fairfax? Yeah, it's Schofield." Even in a time like this, Schofield could find it within himself to let out a brief chuckle at the data analyst's words. "Yes, I know I always call you when I'm in trouble. Yes, I'm in trouble and I'll take you out for drinks next time I'm in the states."

"_Sounds like a plan."_ Schofield could picture the young man, slouching in his chair with his converse'd feet on the desk, jeans hanging loosely around his ankle and one hand absentmindedly clicking on a constant stream of data. _"So what can I do for you, Scarecrow?"_ David Fairfax queried.

"Jack West's farm, Australia. A member of my team and Wests' daughter have been removed from the premises. Our pilot should still be in the area. Her name's Kent, Tiffany Kent. I need you to co-ordinate with her to scan the area so we can get a lead on these people… This is big, Dave, I know that much."

Despite how little Scarecrow did in fact know, he could sense from the gravity West had spoken with at the farmhouse when he'd outlined how they would approach the situation.

"_You want a DNA trail of sorts for them? For whatever vehicle they've left in, assuming they didn't leave by foot?"_ David clarified.

"Yes, exactly. As soon as possible would be helpful too."

"_Okay, I'm on it. Be in touch."_ The line clicked dead. Schofield opened the door of the jeep.

His marines stood in a group, slightly off to where Jack was leaning over the back of a chair. One of the red-headed twins was scrolling down a laptop on the same chair, enlarging and shrinking a screen that looked very much like a map.

"Captain West, I've organised for a sort of DNA trail to be followed of their escape route," Schofield said. The other people in the group looked surprised he made a comment. He studied them each in turn.

The woman, West's wife, she was clearly a brilliant soldier, as well as fiercely loyal of her family. She reminded him of Gant in a way – but then everything seemed to these days.

The twins almost seemed as though they'd be better suited in a basement, playing video games. Schofield could imagine them getting along perfectly well with Dave Fairfax.

The burly, bushy-faced Arab and the tall, surly hollow cheeked men were not to be crossed either. Both of them seemed to exude extreme "don't mess with me" vibes, which was an achievement for the Arab, who had worn a jovial smile.

Astro would occasionally meet his eyes before turning away. There was an odd look on his face, so out of place that Schofield wasn't quite ready to write him off as a traitor just yet.

The pilot had remained largely silent except for a brief moment at the beginning when he'd spoken about Lily. He seemed to care for her a great deal, but Schofield had gathered that they all did.

Schofield knew that he had to co-operate with this team in order to keep his safe and get Reacher back. It was easier to do that if he made connections, even if they were minor ones.

The final member of West's team stood away from the group. Rough and unshaven with an arrogant smirk on his face, Schofield was only slightly gladder when he reminded him of Reacher and not of his dead girlfriend. Sure enough, there was a sort of refined taunting quality that both the Sea Ranger and the Barbarian seemed to share.

Would the two teams combined be enough to retrieve Lily and Reacher?

Schofield didn't know but he'd soon find out.

* * *

"So what's the deal with this Scarecrow fellow?" Pooh Bear's normally booming voice was lowered.

Surprisingly, before Jack could reply, J.J. drawled a comment from beneath the wing of the jet. "He's an American soldier. This guy's record… Well, I'd almost say it's as good as ours. Facing down moles down at Wilkie's Ice Station while discovering a nuclear powered jet. Last I heard, he was on a bounty list as one as the only men who could disable a set of missiles that could destroy the entire world." There was a silence, somewhat tinged with admiration.

"A member of his team was taken. From what _I've_ heard about him personally, he'll do anything to get her back," Jack added.

"That's why he's here?" Stretch queried, his eyebrows raised. "That's the only reason you know you can trust him?"

"Stretch, I would have expected you of all people to understand the loyalty between teams."

The Israeli's eyes flashed but he said nothing.

"So what's our plan of attack to find Lily, Jack?" Sky Monster asked.

A loud mix of beeping and static filled the hangar, bouncing off the walls and over taking the quiet conversations that were occurring. The source was a device Schofield was holding in his hand, Jack noted as he glanced at the other soldier.

Schofield lifted the device to his ear. "Comic, this is Scarecrow. Report on your location?" His voice held some relief.

"_Scarecrow, I'm over the farm. I was only at the army base near Brisbane, refuelling. Your friend Mr Fairfax has managed to co-ordinate his technology and well, it's certainly impressive."_ Jack was able to identify the speaker's voice as an American female, as warped as it was. Another member of his team?

"How far would you say you are from getting results?"

"_I'm sweeping the area now." _A brief pause. Everyone in the hangar was hanging off each word emerging from the radio. _"I've found it."_ The excitement in Comic's tone was clearly able to be heard. _"A clear trail leading towards the edge of the country. It seems they've travelled by truck, gauging by the fuel readings I'm being given."_

"Can you plot a course to follow them? I know it's a lot to ask of you, but situations have changed." Schofield's voice was calm and authoritative. "We'll follow you…" He glanced at Jack, who jerked his head at the jet. "We'll follow you in a Tupolev just as soon as you give us the co-ordinates."

She told him them before promising to radio. Schofield lowered the device and turned to Jack, clearly awaiting commands. Jack felt grateful to him for this and clasped his hands together.

"Right team, you heard Captain Schofield. Load everyone into the _Sky Warrior_. Monster, we need to get to that location sharpish." The bearded pilot was already hoisting himself into the cockpit of the plane.

"With all these extra men, it might have been a little more helpful to have the _Hali_," Pooh muttered as he walked around to the stairs on the side.

"The Hali?" Jack heard one of Schofield's soldiers query, the Mexican one.

"The Halicarnassus," he explained.

"Jack's old 747. Greatest plane that ever lived," Zoe added, following Pooh's trail.

"What happened to it?"

A grim smile flickered across Jack's face. "I used her to treat an ancient trap system," he said without further explanation.

While the 747 was admittedly bigger, the _Sky Warrior_ still boasted a fair few qualities. The door to the cockpit opened into a seated area, complete with desks. After that, the plane was completely gutted of any other comforts. Weapons hung on the wall of one side and a jeep sat bolted to the ground on the other. Yes, the _Halicarnassus_ had been a great plane but the speed the _Warrior_ would allow them now would be to their advantage.

The doors to the hangar slid open automatically and the plane powered out onto the vast landscape, quickly gaining enough speed to lift off. Jack slid the shotgun off his back, snapping it in half and removing the ammunition from it.

He glanced up to see a serious looking Marine looking at a weapon of his own. Jack had only seen it once before, in fact he'd used it to stop his imminent death once before.

"Is that a Maghook?" he asked. The Marine glanced up in some surprise that Jack recognized the object. Jack extended his hand, clearly wanting to study it. The other Marine hesitated.

"Sure is. How do you know about them?" he asked as he passed it to Jack.

Buck Riley. His name finally came to Jack from the files he'd studied once upon a time. Call-sign: Book II. Jack wondered for a brief moment who Book I had been. "I had a bit of an altercation last year at the second vertex with some Marines. Rouge ones, of course. Anyway, I was plummeting down into a chasm." As he'd suspected, none of the Marines displayed confusion at his terminology. They already knew about the vertexes, the machine, the pillars, everything.

"And one of those Maghooks saved my ass." He passed the Maghook back.

"They've saved the Scarecrow's a fair few times too," Mother added. "Sydney Harbour Bridge story was a personal favourite of mine."

"Sydney Harbour Bridge?" The query came from Zoe this time. Though not a native to Australia as her husband was, she was familiar with the famous landmark.

"Two Maghooks. One negative charge, one positive. The length of one would not be enough to cover the distance as it was for you Captain West."

"Ah, it's named for the arches," Jack said with a nod. "Clever."

"We Americans are sometimes," Mother remarked.

* * *

"Get them out of the truck. Watch out for the soldier!" The voice was muffled by the steel walls of the truck. The back doors slid open and light spilled in. A man clothed in black moved to the back of the van, grabbing first Lily and then Egypt. Lily noticed they held Egypt tighter than she needed to be. Good. This was to her advantage if they believed she was nothing more than a silly little girl.

She glanced around at the line of trucks that surrounded them. Black, military vehicles, as faceless as the black military persons who had taken them and removed them. Lily flexed her wrists slightly, but other than that remained still.

They weren't in Australia. Lily could tell instantly by the feeling of the air and the temperature. But even if that wasn't enough, the Great Pyramids sat majestically in the far distance.

They were in Egypt. The country.

Lily tilted her head down slightly to look at her watch. She reckoned it had been about eleven hours since she'd last looked at her watch. They must have loaded them onto the plane while still in the truck, as Jack had been wont to do in the past.

"And so I have with me two daughters of Thoth." The voice was dismembered before a man stepped into the two prisoners views. Well dressed and wearing glasses. An American accent that she seemed to be so used to hearing these days. He was Caucasian, with blonde hair and pale skin.

She saw Egypt tilt her head slightly, studying the man who walked in front of them.

"I know you," she said in a low controlled voice that somehow seemed to be shaking with fury. Clearly Lieutenant Reacher didn't take lightly to being taken. Lily herself had been kidnapped before at the end of the Capstone mission some years ago but eventually, her choice had saved her family and the world.

"Do you now? They did tell me they were intelligent before they fired me. They told me you would take my job if you accepted it. You didn't. You choose to go in the army."

Lily was bewildered. But before Egypt could retort, he turned to Lily.

"And you. Rescued from your mother's womb in the heart of a volcano, a pivotal part in the schemes to save the world before you were adopted by the _courageous_ Captain West." He said the word scathingly and Lily instantly felt her anger flare up. She stepped forward, ignoring the soldiers who closed in behind her.

"My father is ten times more courageous than you," she responded, not realising that her tone held a similar quality of fury to Egypt's. "You are faceless and nameless. A coward."

The man chuckled. "I will easily tell you my name, Lily West. I am Anthony Reichs. I used to be a translator, cryptographer and analyst for a sector adjoined the United States Marine Corps. I used to be quite high up in my world."

His words struck a chord with Lily and she opened her mouth to speak but Egypt got there first.

"I knew it had to be you. As soon as you said that, I knew." She had also attempted to pull forward like Lily had but the soldiers were restraining her. Her entire body was taut and harsh, like a killing machine.

"Knew what?" Lily asked.

"Only ten people in the world know that I can speak Thoth. My team, my mother, my superior officer… And the man who discovered the talent. The man with the file on his desk." She gestured to Anthony Reichs. "It was him."

Slow clapping sounded around the area. "Well done, Lieutenant Reacher. I must say, I was slightly disappointed when you didn't remember me."

"I don't know how you found us but you're a dead man."

"On the contrary, Lieutenant Reacher. You're a dead woman if you don't give us the ritual."

"The ritual?" Lily watched as Egypt's angry posture slackened slightly in her clear confusion at the question. "What ritual?"

"The ritual, you know what ritual, you're a daughter of Thoth!" Reichs' tone was both impatient and self-convinced. Egypt glanced at Lily, her face unreadable but for her eyes. She had no idea what Reichs wanted. Lily herself had no idea.

"I don't know _any_ ritual," she said, her tone deadly. "And even if I did, I wouldn't tell you."

Lily winced, knowing that as much as enemies were cruel and harsh, retorting to them was _never_ a good idea.

Reichs gestured to one of the nearest soldiers and the soldier quickly passed his gun over. He raised it to face Egypt. It was a semi-automatic machine gun, privately bought. Egypt met it, her face impassive.

"Go ahead and shoot me," she said flatly. "Clearly you don't need me after you've gone to all this trouble of bringing me here."

"Oh, I can assure you I don't," Reichs said smoothly. He slid the hammer back, the gun fully able to be used now. "One more chance to tell the truth. What is the ritual?"

"I don't know."

"One."

"I don't _know_ it."

"Two."

"_I don't know the fucking ritual!"_

"Three!"

"Stop!" Lily's voice seemed to speak at a will of its own and she moved in front of Egypt, staring directly down the barrel of the gun.

It seemed that this was the second situation an onlooker would find themselves confused towards. A young, slim girl staring defiantly down a machine gun, standing in front of a woman who was clearly a soldier, surrounded by military vehicles and men and far on the horizon, the Pyramids of Giza.

"She doesn't know the ritual." Lily took a deep breath, wondering what Jack would do. Of course, Jack would have a way out. He always did. All Lily had was time to stall. "But I do."


End file.
